When King Charles I of England granted the land that would eventually become North Carolina and South Carolina to Sir Robert Heath in 1629, he referred to the region as Carolus — a Latin derivative of the name Charles. Roughly 34 years later, King Charles II changed the region’s spelling to Carolina while granting the land to the eight Lords Proprietors in 1663. The name stuck, with the northern section becoming North Carolina and the southern South Carolina.
That latitudinal divide became an official separation in 1712, creating two distinct colonies. In the more than 300 years since then, South Carolina’s geography has made it a go-to destination for beach lovers and golf enthusiasts. The Palmetto State’s 2,876 miles of tidal coastline are located in the Atlantic coastal plain, one of its three major geographic regions. The other two, the Piedmont province and the Blue Ridge Mountains, are more inland, offering a wide variety of biomes and habitats for different types of animals to live in.
The rise of climate change and environmentally destructive human activities are major threats to animals worldwide, including South Carolina. In the United States, at-risk animal species fall under the federal protections provided by the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). South Carolina is currently home to 23 federally endangered (not threatened) species. Keep reading to explore the six endangered animal species known to occur in the state that aren’t clams, flowering plants, lichens, or fish (so, mammals, birds, and reptiles).
Roseate Tern
Photo Courtesy Sarah Nystrom
The roseate tern (Sterna dougallii) exists worldwide and is not technically endangered. In the case of its North Atlantic subspecies, the Sterna dougallii dougallii, things get a little more complicated. In North America, the subspecies of roseate tern are sort of like Carolus — divided by geographical regions. When the species was added to the ESA in 1987, the Caribbean population was designated as threatened and the Northeastern population endangered. South Carolina is the southernmost state where Northeastern roseate terns are still found today.
Approximately 40 centimeters long, the birds have light-gray wings and backs, white bodies, and black bills, legs, and caps.
These remarkably striking features ultimately led to their decline. Hunters began decimating roseate tern populations in the name of fashionable hat decorations from the late 1800s until the practice was banned in the 1930s.
The species’ populations have remained relatively stable over the decades, though recovery efforts face an uphill battle against rising sea levels, predation, and human development. As of 2019, estimates place the total Northeastern population at a little over 4,600 breeding pairs.
Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle
Photo Courtesy USFWS
Kemp’s ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) is the smallest of all sea turtles, reaching 2 feet long and weighing up to 100 pounds. The turtles have triangle-shaped heads, primarily eat crabs, and are almost as wide as they are long.
Once abundant in the Gulf of Mexico, the species’ population plummeted due to commercial and recreational fishing in the middle of the 20th century. The reptile was originally designated as a federally endangered species a few years before the ESA was established. It was then grandfathered into the ESA once passed.
About 95% of the turtle’s worldwide nesting occurs in Tamaulipas, Mexico, but occasional nests have been found in Florida, Alabama, and even South Carolina.
The ESA designates NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) with the protection of sea turtles, meaning there are a lot of resources and initiatives working to conserve the species. Some of Kemp’s ridley sea turtle-saving initiatives still in effect today include the Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network, a sea turtle in distress hotline (1-866-TURTLE-5), and countless nesting sanctuaries and hatcheries across the country.
Gray Bat
Photo Courtesy Alvarez Photography
The gray bat (Myotis grisescens) has long, glossy gray fur that can turn reddish-brown due to bleaching from the sun. The flying mammal’s current range includes parts of South Carolina and 16 additional states.
On April 21, 1975, a proposal was put forth to list the gray bat as endangered. However, its status could not be determined until each governor of the proposal in every state where the species is known to occur was notified and given a 90-day window for the governors to comment. The gray bat’s proposal was sent to the governors of 17 states where it was known to be found.
The issue was that there was an 18th state: Oklahoma. That small miscommunication took roughly a year to correct, and the species has remained on the list as endangered ever since.
The bats are primarily threatened by human disturbances when they are hibernating, causing them to break from their sleep-like states and waste valuable energy meant to last them through the cold winter. This threat is particularly dangerous for gray bats since an estimated 95% of the population hibernates in only 15 caves! The silver lining, of course, is that 14 of those 15 major hibernacula (caves) are considered permanently protected and gated off from the public.
Indiana Bat
Photo Courtesy Ann Froschauer/USFWS
The gray or brown-colored, pink-nosed Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) is a small, insect-eating species of cave bat that has been endangered since the establishment of the ESA itself. The extremely social bats hibernate in caves or mines during winter. However, interestingly enough, they require forests — which provide opportunities to roost and forage — to survive.
As of 2019, the population of Indiana bats in the U.S. was estimated at 537,297 — roughly half the size of when the species was first listed on the ESA in 1973.
However, since the arrival of white-nose syndrome in North America in 2007, the population has declined by 19%. The wildlife disease is considered one of the worst in modern times, killing millions of bats in North America alone. Caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans, a fungus that can resemble white powder or fuzz on a bat’s face, white-nose syndrome affects hibernating bats like the northern long-eared bat and the Indiana bat.
Northern Long-Eared Bat
Photo Courtesy Lilibeth Serrano/USFWS
The northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) is a cave bat designated as endangered under the ESA. Typically colored with brown fur, northern long-eared bats distinguish themselves with distinct long ears.
Similarly to the Indiana bats, they also dine on insects, hibernate in caves or mines in the winter, and occupy forests the remainder of the year. The long-eared bat species is quite a recent addition to the ESA. The reason is the most significant threat to most cave-based bats today — white-nose syndrome.
In 2022, the USFWS reclassified the bats from threatened to endangered due to an unprecedented decline in population levels from this white-nose syndrome.
There is currently no cure, but researchers around the world are collaborating to create one and have developed several experimental vaccines and other treatments.
Leatherback Sea Turtle
Graphic Courtesy NOAA
The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys c. coriacea) is the largest, most migratory, widest-ranging, and deepest diving of all sea turtles worldwide. Adults reach up to 8 feet in length and weigh a literal ton (2,000 pounds)! The leatherback was listed as an endangered species in 1970 and remains so to this day.
In 1992, the USFWS and NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service released a recovery plan for the leatherback turtles in the U.S. Caribbean, Atlantic, and Gulf of Mexico — the Pacific populations would have to wait another four years to receive their recovery plan.
The two of the biggest threats to the species are disturbances to the marine environment from plastic pollution and commercial fisheries. The turtles’ populations have remained relatively stable over time but still require significant long-term protections for their nesting habitats.
Scientists tagged Atlantic leatherbacks at nesting beaches and the sea from 1995 to 2010 to better understand their habits and migration patterns, providing valuable data on the species. Wildlife biologists and government agencies have also teamed up to create and maintain numerous leatherback turtle breeding programs and wildlife refuges in the U.S.
